Most states of the United States have Right to Carry (RTC) Laws that enable its citizens to carry concealed handguns. A main reason for carrying a concealed handgun is self-defense. Most RTC permit holders desire a firearm having sufficient caliber and firepower to stop a potential attacker or aggressor in life-threatening situations. At the same time, it is likewise desirable to have a firearm that is relatively small and compact so that it can be worn in a comfortable and unobtrusive manner. Even law-enforcement officers, such as policemen and security officers, have a need for a back-up weapon that can be worn undetected on the body.
Most pistols of a caliber sufficient for use in personal protection or by a law-enforcement officer are relatively large because of the traditional L-shape of conventional handguns. As such, conventional handguns cannot be comfortably worn in a concealed fashion. Smaller pistols have been designed to address the desire for a more concealable weapon. But smaller pistols still have the traditional L-shaped configuration, and as the size of a pistol is reduced, the number of shells the gun can carry is also reduced. Still further, as the size of a pistol gets smaller, so does the size of the handgrip. Smaller handgrips make holding a pistol uncomfortable and awkward because a smaller handgrip cannot accommodate all the fingers of an average person's hand.
The present invention overcomes these and other problems and provides a pistol having a handgrip that is movable relative to the barrel of the pistol into a compact storage configuration that can be easily worn in an unobtrusive manner.